Feigning fate
by Anki.cullen
Summary: Bella develops a feeling of anger and hatred towards the Cullens when they leave her. What happens when they meet again after 3 years and the secrets Bella kept in the past are revealed.  Will the Cullens be able to win her trust back?
1. The revelations

**The revelations **

I hurried back home finding my way into the dark streets through the heavy rain, when I heard an agonizing scream of a woman. Hesitating for a moment, I debated with myself whether I should go or not. Finally I made my way to where the scream came from and reached a dimly lit alleyway with water leaking through a pipe.

There, stood four figures with their backs to me while one lay on the ground, unconscious. The four people were fighting with three hooded figures who were gripping a stick in their hand. One of the hooded men raised his arm causing his sleeve to fall back and flash a tattoo; I immediately recognized them as Death Eaters.

All of a sudden, a big, burly man who was fighting whipped around to grab hold of a death eater trying to attack from its back, giving me a chance to look at his face. I stood there, my mouth hanging open in shock; it was a member of a family I once considered mine. Acting on my instinct, before I could realize what I was doing, I stunned the three death eaters and watched as they crumpled to the ground. Suddenly reality dawned upon me of what I had done but before I could retreat back unnoticed, the broken voice of Alice called out," Please, I know it was you who stopped them. I need your help here, my husb- brother has been attacked and we are new to this place. Please help us!" I contemplated my decision for a while, as much as I wanted to help them, I could not risk them disclosing my secret. I knew that they had still not recognized me because of the black hoodie that I was wearing while keeping my face bent down. As for my scent, it was covered due to my witchcraft.

Abruptly, two figures blurred past me whom I instantly recognized as Carlisle and Esme. "Oh dear! What happened here?" Esme cried out in concern while Carlisle was already kneeling down beside Jasper, examining him. "Esme", Alice cried out, "I'm so scared Esme", she dry sobbed while Esme tried to console her. "we need to get Jasper out of here", Carlisle instructed, "Emmett, come here". Emmett walked over to Carlisle and threw Jasper over his shoulder. All of the Cullens, except for Carlisle and Esme, who were busy with Jasper, turned to look at me expectantly and I realized that Alice had asked for my help earlier and they were expecting me to answer. Seeing a devastated Alice, broken Jasper and a worried Esme, how could I refuse them, I owed them for saving my life from James.

So, I gave them a curt nod and motioned for them to follow me. "That's very kind of you" Carlisle said thankfully, "I hope you don't have a problem, handling seven unexpected guests", he asked, "oh, of course not" I chided. "Wait" Rosalie interrupted, "Carlisle", she said turning to him, "we don't even know her, for all we know she could be dangerous!" she screeched, "Rose has a point, Carlisle" _he_said gently. _Edward_, I had been trying my best not to look at him but it looks like I failed miserably.

If possible, he looked even more angelic than before but there was a drastic change in his appearance, his eyes which used to be so full of light were now a dull onyx and traces of all smiles from his face was gone. All that his eyes held were an ancient pain whose reasons I did not know. "But Edward ", Carlisle said, interrupting me from my thought about Edward, "We don't exactly have a choice here, the friend that I came to meet is not in ton right now, al the motels and inns are closed down and Jasper's condition looks quite bad" he explained.

Everything was silent for a moment before Rosalie sighed heavily, giving up. Once their problem was resolved, I started walking back towards home without waiting for them. Rosalie's doubt had made the anguish and longing I felt by seeing them turn into anger and resentment. I was angry with them for leaving me in a mess, for leaving me without even so much as a goodbye after convincing me that I was a part of their family, hatred for the fact that this what happened in the past was nothing more than a fling for Edward.

They made me feel so used that I was self-disgusted with myself for being a fool that I was and falling into their trap." Um miss?", Carlisle asked, "Can we know your name please". I smirked to myself, this encounter was going to be a lot of fun. "I thought you would have still remembered me even though it has been a long time since we last met" I said amused with my antics. "We…. We have met before?" he asked, confused and embarrassed. "Oh, don't you remember me Carlisle, we have met quite a lot of times. Anyways, if it helps you to remember, I'm Isabella but I prefer to be called Bella, I revealed. I pushed the hood back from my face turning around to face them clearly.


	2. Unexpected events

**Hey guys! First of all, I would like to thank all those people who reviewed. **

**I really needed those encouragements. Thank you all sooo much. So, here is the new chapter. Hope you like it!**

**CHAPTER 2- Unexpected Events**

Alice pov

I stood there, my jaw hanging open and I was pretty sure that I was not the only one with that expression on my face.

It was my best friend, my sister…Bella! Once my mind got over the shock, I let out a squeal and ran to hug her. Only seeing Bella again could have calmed my panic a little about Jasper. I slammed against her unable to contain my euphoria and nearly knocked us both over.

But in all my merriment, I didn't realize that she didn't respond to my hug like she used to but instead stiffened..

I looked up to ask her what was wrong but for the second time in the evening, my jaw hit the floor. I hadn't been able to get a good look at her before but now that I was really able to see her under the light illuminating from the street lamp. She was gorgeous, even that seemed such a lame word to describe her.

She was no longer that chalky average girl. She had ivory colored, glass like skin that contrasted strikingly with the black clothes she was wearing.

Her face was heart shaped with waist length chestnut brown hair which ended at her lower back in curls. Her usually normal brown eyes were now unlike any other I had seen. They were a stunning shade of brownish yellow framed with thick lashes and ruby red lips that would make anyone go weak to their knees.

Heck, she even made Rose look average and that was saying something.

I suddenly realized that we were still gaping at her like fishes. I quickly snapped my mouth shut and looked up at her my face portraying hurt and confusion. But she ignored me instead and turned to Carlisle, "if we keep standing here, jasper's condition is probably going to get worse" she said turning back on her heel and leading us towards her house.

_Half an hour later _

We stood in front of a huge white mansion in the middle of the woods with a full moon glowing brightly over it giving it a magical effect.

However, I was too worried about Jasper now to revel properly in the house's beauty.

Emmett and I dashed inside with Jazz on Em's shoulder and placed him on a couch in the living room.

I kneeled down beside Jazz and started stroking his hair. After a few minutes, Carlisle, Bella and the rest of the family walked in. As I looked at Edward I noticed that for the first time after years, the light on his face was somewhat back after seeing Bella. His eyes followed her wherever she went and there was a flicker of hope in them.

But something was making me uneasy at this place. Whenever I tried to see the future, I could clearly see my family but some other people were just blurred forms. Also, the visions made no sense to me. They would come and go and all that I was able to catch was a small glimpse.

That is the reason I wasn't able to see the attack on Jasper or see us meeting Bella again. Beside me, Carlisle who was examining Jasper had a confused look on his face which soon turned into a frown.

"Is there something wrong Carlisle?" I asked, panic laced in my voice. "I don't know Alice" he sighed, "I can't figure out what has happened to him, he certainly isn't dead but vampires cannot get unconscious".

"I know what is wrong with him", Bella spoke up from behind us.

I turned to look at her expectantly while Carlisle slid away to give her some space. Bella sat down beside me and tenderly touched Jasper's forehead and neck. We all kept looking at her hoping for some reaction.

After a while, she frowned and looked at us, "There's nothing to worry about" she assured, "His mind and body were not ready for the unexpected attack and to protect him, his mind shut down" she explained.

Comprehension flickered across Carlisle's face but I wasn't convinced. I knew my Jasper, he was always was always on alert for these kind of attacks especially in unfamiliar places. This shouldn't have taken him by surprise.

Moreover, I could sense that Bella was hiding something from us and the explanation she gave was not the entire truth. "All you need to do is" Bella said, interrupting me from my thoughts, "keep giving him blood so as to get his strength back and he will be up in a few hours". "Now I guess I will show you all your rooms" she suggested.

We all nodded in unison and followed her up the marble staircase. The walls were a pale white colored with frames on them, some held pictures of weirdly dressed people while some were of newspaper clippings.

The first floor had three rooms out of which one was occupied by Bella. We followed her down the hallway which was lit up by fluorescent lights and reached a huge polished wooden door. "Here", Bella said giving me the key to the room, "This will be yours and Jasper's room". "Carlisle and Esme will be in the next room and the rest of you will be on the second storey" she clarified while Emmett's and Edward's faces visibly deflated.

Emmett sulked towards the king size bed and gently laid Jazz down there. Everyone murmured their 'good nights' to me and shuffled out of the room giving me a chance to sink in today's unexpected events.


	3. The arrival

**AN:**

**Hey gals! Sorry for the delay but this chapter was a tough one. You'll get most of the answers to your questions in this chappy****. Anyways, here you go. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 3 – Arrival**

_**Bella pov**_

The bright sunlight filtered into my room, pricking my eyes and instantly chasing my sleep away. I groggily got out of bed and sulked towards the bathroom since I wasn't exactly a morning person.

After an hour I was freshened up, back in a bright mood and ready to step into the kitchen when there was a loud _thump_. I turned around to face the window where the voice had come from and had interrupted me and came face to face with a red, feathery kind of bird.

I stared at it for a moment before recognition hit me. "Fawkes!" I cried out in happiness even thought it was just over a bird. I quickly unlatched the window and quickly let him in.

As soon as he entered he dropped a white envelope, which he was holding in his beak, in my hand. I looked down at it curiously and studied it, looking for any threats. When I found none, I ripped it open and a white folded piece of paper fell down. 

Bending down, I picked it up and cautiously unfolded it. My eyes scanned through the page and realized that the letter was from Professor Dumbledore.

_Dear_

_Isabella P.,_

_I'm very sorry for the inconvenience I am causing you _

_Ms. Potter but I had to leave town due to urgent matters_

_in haste. Please convey my apologies to my dear friend _

_Carlisle and his family. Ms Potter I request you to take _

_be their host until I return and be my substitute. Again,_

_I apologize for the inconvenience I am causing you and_

_the Cullens. Hope to see you soon in the next term._

_Albus D._

"Oh my", I sighed. Of course, why didn't I realize it before? It was perfectly obvious that the reason the Cullens were here was to visit professor Dumbledore. Surely Carlisle and Dumbledore had known each other for a long time.

They both belonged to a world of supernatural and stood out among the rest of them. They both strived to save the lives of innocent and both were great and well known people. Obviously they had met before.

"Great" I muttered to myself as Dumbledore's letter came back to my mind. This meant that now I had to endure the Cullens and ruin my vacations!

I suddenly whipped around when I heard a set of footsteps descending down the stairs. I quickly stashed the letter in a drawer and slid the window open motioning fawkes to fly away because it would certainly look suspicious if there was an unusual bird perched on my window sill.

"Good morning Bella" Carlisle and Esme greeted me. I nodded back at them with a forced smile plastered on my face, still troubled by the letter.

There was another chorus of 'hye' as the rest of the cullens descended down. I smiled back at them and greeted them back quietly.

"How is Jasper, Alice?" I asked after a while, trying to diminish the awkward silence that had settled between us. "He is still unconscious but he was twitching a bit at night" she replied longingly. "Don't worry" I reassured her, "just keep working on making him strong".

"Okay, how about you all go and make yourself comfortable in the living room while I make my breakfast" I suggested. Everyone nodded and walked out of the room but not before I noticed Alice giving Edward a nudge and glancing in my direction.

After the room was cleared of the cullens I turned and started heading back towards the kitchen when for the second time in the morning someone interrupted me.

"Uh…. Bella" Edward's voice came from behind me, "Can I help you?" he asked shifting nervously. I stood there for a moment not expecting him to say this.

I contemplated my decision for a moment before giving him a hesitant nod while his face spread into a breathtaking smile which left me totally confused. "Follow me" I ordered and stalked towards the kitchen, disappointed by my self-control.

_**Edward pov**_

I fidgeted nervously, staring at the floor, waiting for Bella's reply. After being apart from Bella for 36 months, I realized that staying away from Bella was worse than being burnt alive.

I had started regretting my decision of leaving her as soon as the horror of _existing_ without her hit me fully. But the only thing that kept me from running back to her was the thought of ruining the chance of her living a happy, normal human life.

Living in those dark days without her, the thought of her ripped my heart apart every single day but it was the only thought that kept me sane. Usually I would spend those haunting days conjuring up memories of her beautiful smiling face and love filled eyes.

When I saw her again yesterday, it was like seeing my soul again. Seeing her help Jasper, outdo Carlisle's knowledge and assure Esme and Alice my love for her had grown all the more. I wanted nothing more than to apologize to her for the mistakes I had so foolishly made. I wanted to have her back in my arms, to hear my name fall from her lips, to feel her love for me but I was scared.

I had hurt her so much, would she forgive me? I was afraid to face her rejection even though I deserved it. The thought of her never being in my arms again, never again hearing her say "I love you" to me was enough to killed me all over again. But I was trying to build up some courage, to at least talk to her so that she could know the truth

Today, it was Alice who had given me my final push to talk to Bella. I hoped and prayed to god fervently that she would forgive me although it would make me all the more guilty for leaving such a pure soul and also because I wanted to suffer.

After a while the silence got through me and I snuck a peek at Bella's face still waiting for her reply. Her face was scrunched up adorably in contemplation. I let out an audible sigh, gazing at her heavenly face and once again my impatience vanished as I was sucked in again by the depth of her beauty.

Before, Bella used to look purely angelic but now not even Aphrodite's beauty could not be compared with hers.

Her chestnut brown hair cascaded down her back in gentle waves. Her dark pools of brown eyes flecked with gold had the power to hold every existing being on this earth under her.

Her face though, was altogether a different story. I could go on describing it forever and I still won't get it right. It had the brilliancy of fire, the softness of petals, the delicacy of glass and most of all it showed a crystal clear reflection of her golden heart.

"Okay" she whispered back finally after thoroughly measuring the pros and cons of her decision and walked away into the kitchen. I followed her in and sat beside her on a stool while she continued her _hunt _through the kitchen as she had once put it.

My eyes trailed behind her as she gracefully worked in making her breakfast.

Even though she was appearing to be concentrated on her breakfast I knew better and knew that she was feeling uncomfortable with the growing silence between us.

I reckoned it was time to finally speak to her. Taking a deep shaky breath I let out all my emotions to her that I had bottled up for so long.

"I…. I, Can we talk?" I asked striking for my chance. She turned towards me, perplexed and nodded her head minutely. She sat down on the kitchen counter and arched a perfect eyebrow giving me an expectant look.

"I don't know how to say this" I muttered, "But please believe me Bella because this is the truth" I pleaded. She cocked her ear in my direction indicating that she was listening attentively.

With a deep sigh, I continued, "I can't find a way to express myself to you properly but if it was in my hands, I would never have let you go, love. But how could I snatch away the bright future that you could have without me. It would have been too selfish of me to keep for myself. Please understand that I made the decision to leave you because I wanted you to be safe and happy. Even though both the monster and human in me craved for you, the monster had selfish desires which included keeping you bound to me forever. The human part of me too loved you immensely but could not bear the thought of you being doomed to this dark life" I paused gauging her reaction hoping that by now she grasped the real reason of my leaving her.

"I still don't understand" she muttered, "One day you go on telling me that you hate me and that I'm not good enough for you. But now, I don't get what you are trying to explain to me Edward" she said confused.

"Bella" I murmured, my eyes closed "What I'm trying to say is that I left because I wanted to protect you from the dangerous that all my kinds posed towards you. If you would have stayed with me you would have been doomed on way or the other. But all though I managed to convince you, how could I suppress my love. I never stopped loving you Bella and I never will. Those words in the forests that day were a complete lie. The way that the son cannot help but shine in the day, the way that leaves cannot help but dance when the wind blows the way that the birds cannot help but sing when they are happy, I cannot help but love you unconditionally" I explained, begging her to understand my side of the story.

"You left me to protect me?" she choked out in disbelief. I nodded vigorously in response and opened my mouth to speak again but she interrupted me, "All those things you said that day were a lie? When you said that I wasn't good enough for you it was nothing but fake" she said, her voice cracking.

It tore me to see her like this so I stepped forward to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder but she flinched and retreated back a few steps. The minute rejection tore my soul apart and frightened me for the outcomes for the future.

Suddenly, Bella's features changed from the verge of breaking down to seething.

She turned to look at me, her eyes cold and unfamiliar." Yet even after saying you love me so much, you did not even bat an eyelash when I was literally begging on my knees for you to stay" she seethed.

"Bella…." I trailed off in horror, "I had to. It took everything I had inside me to say those callous words to you" I cried out, "Everyone has come to consider you as family Bella and after we left no one was the same, even Rose was upset. The effect mark that you left on us is permanent and incomparable". By this time Bella was practically shaking with fury.

"Bella, honey" a melodic, heartbroken voice belonging to Esme came out of the blue making us both jump in surprise, "What my son says is the truth. He loves you too much to live without you and I have seen it with my own heart. Hon, you have completed this family. You are a daughter to me and Carlisle, a sister to Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett. Come back to us, please"

Bella squeezed her eyes shut and spoke with a humorless chuckle, "You're wrong Esme. I was never a daughter to you or Carlisle or a sister any of the rest" she whispered," I was just a girl who dated your son for a few months. If I was a daughter to you, you wouldn't have abandoned me like this. You wouldn't have left me without even a goodbye. If Jasper decided to leave Alice one day, you would not have support his decision entirely, would you, no matter what the reason?" she asked Esme, her eyes reflecting hurt and betrayal.

Esme bowed her head down ashamed and struggled for words. "That's what I thought" Bella murmured and walked out of the kitchen, her plate in her hand.

Esme turned to me her face pained, "I'm sorry Edward" she dry sobbed "I have been such a horrible mother to her". I immediately drew my mother into my arms, consoling her, "It is not your fault Esme, never blame yourself for this" I said appalled, "I was the one you forced you all away from her and if anyone is to be blamed, it is me"

I steadied her away from me and looked at her face which was still morphed with guilt.

"I'm fine" Esme said looking up at me and fixed her ruffled dress, "Let's go outside, everyone will be waiting for us" she said towing me along with her in the direction of the living room.

The living room was warm and quiet; the only sound was Bella's heartbeat and the crackle of the fire. Bella was comfortably lounging on the armchair while Emmett and Jasper were as usual setting a bet. Carlisle stood up as we came into the room and encased Esme into a hug and gave me a sympathetic look. Alice and Rose were whispering to each other quietly and looked up at me when I entered asking me mentally about the conversation with Bella.

I shook my head sadly at them and sat down beside Em and Jazz, gazing at Bella from my peripheral vision. The room was dark as the curtains were not yet drawn aside which caused the dancing shadows of the flames of the fire to create an unusually beautiful pattern on one side of Bella's face, adding to her beauty, giving me an odd urge to blink.

"Bella", Carlisle spoke calling her attention, "If we are going to stay here for a few more days then we need to hunt, is there a safe area somewhere?" he asked. "Yep, if you go deeper into the woods behind the house, you can find plenty of carnivores and hikers don't loiter around that part" Bella replied. "Thank you" Carlisle smiled and turned to us.

We made our plans for the hunt when a thought struck me, how long were we going to live here? We couldn't stay here until Carlisle's friend, Albus Dumbledore came back, for god's sake, and we hadn't even heard a word from him. He had not given anyone any notice of his leave, he didn't inform us and on top of that the people here seemed as a threat to me. This place definitely struck me as odd but I hadn't voiced my opinions to anyone yet. Carlisle had never mentioned about this strange friend of his much though he had shown us a picture of him. The long, white bearded man seemed exactly the kind of friend that Carlisle would make.

His eyes held ancient knowledge and wisdom. His body language told the sagging story of his past. Carlisle had said that he had met Dumbledore first in Italy through the means of Aro.

But there was some important detail about him that Carlisle was hiding from us. Dumbledore was surely not human if he maintained an alliance with the Volturi and Carlisle but his aged face and dark brown eyes told me that he was not a vampire. He was something entirely else. But what supernatural being existed aside from vampires and werewolves? Dumbledore could not be a werewolf; it was totally out of question.

I had been pondering over this situation for quite a while, that night when the attack on Jasper had happened, the attackers were definitely not human. Instead of being hurt themselves they had caused damage to a vampire. But more perplexing was the fact that when five vampires had not been able to defeat those three _creatures_, how was Bella able to immobilize them in just a second?

Moreover, the thoughts of those creatures had been blank to him. He had not been able to encounter any other people in this town to know if their minds were also blank or not.

This much he knew that the people of this town were not normal. For crying out loud they had come here on foot. Carlisle had arranged a cab for us to drop us at a weird looking, small village with looming, disproportionate houses. He had neither given us the name of that village nor offered us a reason to why we were here. From that village we had come here, to _Leaky_ _cauldron_, a weird name for a weird place, by running.

We came here running at vampire speed in front of people who looked 75% human considering they were not screaming and running when they saw us running at inhuman speed. Even though it had been night when we had reached this town, there were still a few people strolling out who had witnessed their inhumanness.

And to add to the fact, Bella lived among these people. Does this mean that Bella knew what they were hiding or was she one of _them_?

As if reading my mind, Alice voiced my thoughts about the duration of our stay here.

Listening to Alice, it finally crossed everyone's mind that we could not stay here for long. Carlisle's face turned thoughtful as he thought a place for us to stay in until Dumbledore came back.

Suddenly, Bella who had been listening to our conversation said, "I did a few phone calls for you here and there after Emmett told me about the friend that you all were here to visit and people say that he had to leave due to urgent financial matters and that he would be back in about a week or so. I suggest that you can all stay here for the time being till he returns." She suggested but her tone sounded almost forced, like someone had ordered her to say those words.

Carlisle turned to look at us all if anybody had any objections. When he heard none, he turned to look at Bella with a grateful smile on his face and thanked her for her gratitude.

As decided, Carlisle and Esme had to go and try to contact Dumbledore while the rest of us went hunting.

We left the house at four in the evening, an hour before Carlisle and Esme, running freely into the lush forest.

When we were deep enough into the forest as informed by Bella, the carnivores here were plenty an there was not even a lingering scent of a hiker here.

Letting my senses take over, I lunged on the nearby leopard, drinking it dry.

An hour later, all of us were filled, satisfied and ready to go back.

I quickly called on Carlisle's phone to ask when he would be back; he picked it up on the third ring and said that they would be back within forty-five minutes and were just starting their journey back with no luck in their search.

I told the others about their return time and we raced back to the house.

It was the first time in months that I was running so freely and thinking of getting back to Bella made me all the more joyous and eager to return.

When I was nearly a mile away from the house an awful scent hit me, halting me in my tracks. The others too came to an abrupt halt beside me recognizing the awful wet dog smell in an instant.

The scent was coming from inside the house, where Bella was _alone_. There was a _werewolf_ near Bella when she was unprotected. The thought had me shaking with rage and I let out a loud, feral snarl, scaring the snakes and the owls away.

Not wasting a second more I ran towards the house, the others right at my heel.

I burst through the door, almost ripping it apart in my fury.

Sniffing the air, I realized the smell of the _dog_ was coming from Bella's room which added more fuel to my anger. I dashed up the stairs and wrenched open Bella's door all prepared to rip the dog apart but the sight in front of me shattered my heart into a million splinters, pricking my flesh.

There, with the love of my life in his arms, in my position and lay my natural enemy and not just any but Jacob Black, the boy I hated since the moment that Bella first mentioned him.

**Tada! Well here's the third chapter for you guys. Sorry it took me a bit long to write this one but it covered up a lot of things and was the longest one out of the three.**

**I'll try to update soon these days as I have vacations going on.**

**Hope you like this one and pleeeeeeaaazzzzzzze review. I love getting them cuz they certainly do inspire me to update sooner.**

**So, review soon.**

**Love,**

**Ankira.**


	4. Jacob

**Sorry took a bit long but there was a death in the family. But I am kinda disappointed cuz I expected more than just 4 reviews on the third chapter. I hope this chapter makes up for my delay. Anyways Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER- **I do not own twilight, it all belongs to SM.

**Chapter 4- **Jacob

_Bella pov_

I finished arranging the house, too tired to wait for the Cullens, I made my way back to my room, the wooden boards of the hallway creaking under my weight and echoing in the eerily silent house. Only half-awake, I changed into my night clothes and crashed down on the bed but as much tired as I was feeling; sleep did not over power me.

Restless, I tossed from side to side, the covers getting tangled between my legs. Thoughts nagged at my heart, pricking me to pay attention to them but I was petrified to relive them. Heedlessly, I wished for darkness to engulf me for I knew where my heart and mind were taking me; to the world I dreaded, the world that I kept locked up in the dark prison of my mind, the memories of my parents.

In spite of the fact that I had painstakingly tried to savor only the blithe memories of my parents, the events of the formidable night of my parent's death still haunted my dreams,

still chilled me to my bone, made me bethink the bloodless, ashen face of their murderer. His haunting, hollow eyes, his gaunt face and snake thin body.

The way his bedeviled eyes sparkled with every shot of pain that he inflicted on my mother. His greed crazed eyes dancing with joy on clearing the path to his most threatening assassin. Me.

I abruptly pulled myself back in the present becoming conscious of the fact that I was walking right into the lion's den and composed myself before I started hyperventilating.

Deep in the forest, an owl hooted loudly causing my heart to beat erratically.

I gently scolded myself for getting letting myself getting frightened and lost so easily in the aura of a happy family.

The truth was that as much as I denied myself the fact that I would never be as jovial and light from inside than when I was in the company of the Cullens and I knew it was the truth. I had spent years getting accustomed to the reality of living without a family.

And then, I met the Cullens in Forks. To me they were a perfect family. Maybe, I thought that this was the fruit of the struggle that I had gone through in my past. I had Edward with me, the love of my life, a doting family who already considered me a part of them and I was happy. I had finally got what I had only dreamed of.

But as they say, the more high you soar the more pain there will be when you fall. And then the worst of my fears came true.

For the first time, I truly saw the cruel face of this world. For the first time I caved to return to the Dursleys and endure their torture than face this heartless race. And I realized that I was much safer in the confines of my cupboard sized room than in the masked beauty of this horrid world.

So, I returned back to Hogwarts, the only place I ever acknowledged as my true home.

Not wanting to face the Durselys yet, Dumbledore shifted me to this house whose presence was unknown to anyone outside the boundaries of this village.

Then, the family that ripped my world apart, the world that I had joined back so tentatively, returned. And as much as I wanted to throw myself at them and cry till my eyes ran dry, I resisted. I restrained myself from growing vulnerable again and showing them my weaknesses.

I had been abiding this house for moderately three months now and not once had I been forlorn. Then how come I had become so accustomed to the babbles created by Dumbledore's guests in just two days?

In a way, Forks had taught me to strive, to survive alone. Everyday I struggled from letting my attachment to the Cullens overpower me because in the end they would be going on their own way and I would be off on my own way.

Pulling myself out of my thoughts, again, I tried to lull myself to sleep by concentrating on my breathing but my efforts were fruitless. Sighing, I sat up untangling the cover from my legs before I fell off the bed and shuffled over to the bathroom to wash my face.

Letting the biting cold water run over my face and chasing away the drowsiness, my eyelids alleviated and my tired stance relaxed.

Now, wide awake, I meandered over to the polished, wooden oak bookcase on the far left of my room. Fingering the worn out bindings of the battered books, I hastily extracted a brown coverlet novel from the other countless ones.

I briskly walked over to the beige tinged couch and settled myself there, ready to spend the night immersed in books.

It was over midnight and I was too engrossed in my novel, _Beloved, _to take notice of any happening taking place nearby, which was a rare occurrence. So, I nearly jumped off the couch when I became aware of loud raps echoing off the glass window in the room.

Bewildered and alarmed as to who would knock on the _window_ at this hour of the night, I gingerly stood up from the couch and debated whether to unlock the window or not. I wasn't braced to face a deadly attacker at this moment at the dead of the night, almost in the heart of the forest. And to add to the fact, none of the Cullens were at home either.

Eventually, I gathered up the courage and gently slid the curtains aside making my view clear to a dark, gloomy night. Squinting my eyes, I tried to decipher the shape of a silhouette but the darkness gave away to nothing.

Annoyed and shaken, I reached over to unlatch the window and pushed it open, the raw night breeze nipped at my skin, carrying the presence of someone hiding in the tree right in front. I paused near the pane for a few moments, waiting for the _visitor_ to show its appearance. After a while, I started doubting the noise, maybe I was just hallucinating but the sound of a twig snapping dismissed all my doubts.

"Who's there?" I called out in the night, growing impatient, but all I got was a faint chuckle in response. "Show yourself" I ordered and this time I got a proper reply.

"Just as demanding as ever, I see" a husky voice replied. Immediately my hand flew up to my mouth, shock shimmied through me, my eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Jacob" I said in a throaty whisper, recognition filling me at last. "Finally" he laughed "I thought I was going to have to sit here for the entire night".

When I got over the shock, I stomped over to him. "Jacob Black" I screamed, "Don't you dare scare me like that again! And next time, please make an effort to knock on the door rather than on the window and scare the daylights of someone" I said annoyed.

At hearing my sarcastic request, Jacob burst out laughing. "What?" I barked, "Nothing, it's…it's just that Isabella Potter, I mean the chosen one who can tackle death by her left hand got scared of someone _knocking_ on her window"

I scowled at him until his laughter subsided, then beckoned to him to follow me. "You'll pay for this" I muttered to myself, already strategizing.

I led him down the stairs and stepped into the kitchen while Jake seated himself on the stool near the counter. "Hungry?" I asked while rummaging through the fridge looking for a snack. "You really have to ask? Of course I'm hungry" he said in mock disbelief.

I nodded and took out some bread and cheese. Whilst I made the sandwiches Jake told me more about the pack and the latest happenings in Forks.

"How's Charlie?" I asked him. "He's doing well…he doesn't remember you at all" he whispered at the end. I nodded at him relief and hurt simultaneously washing through me. Even though Charlie was not my real father, I still saw him as one. But when I had to leave, I had to remove his memories with me from his mind including the memories of the people of Forks and Renee which was painful considering the fact that I had grown attached to them a lot.

"So" Jake said, changing the subject in an attempt to lighten up the heavy atmosphere that had settled down upon us "When are you going back to Hogwarts?" he asked curiously.

"There's still a week to go" I replied, my face automatically lifting into a grin at the mention of Hogwarts "I can't wait for the term to start and get back to normal life routine"

"Bella" Jake scoffed "you know very well that life in Hogwarts, for _you,_ can never be normal"

I grinned at him, ignoring his comment, excitement brimming in me now that I realized that I would soon be in Hogwarts, back to attending classes, bickering with friends and laughing at Fred and George's pranks. I couldn't wait to get back.

A longing sigh escaped my lips as I looked forward to the days that I would be spending in my _home. _"So" Jake said, interrupting my fantasies "What are –" he trailed off, his nostrils suddenly flaring, his features a picture of rage. "Jake" I cried out in alarm "What's wrong? Did something happen?" I asked frantically.

Jacob's whole frame was shaking as he started muttering something to himself that sounded like 'why didn't I realize this before', brushing off my questions. "Jake" I yelled, getting his attention "What's going on?"

"You really have to ask me Bella" he hissed "The stench of those leeches is literally overpowering my senses. You have a lot to explain about what the Cullens were doing here not to mention the fact that one of them is still in this house" he said through clenched teeth.

_Ah shit_ I cursed internally, how could I be so careless. Of course Jake would smell their presence due to his heightened senses. I should have told him about this earlier. I get so stupid sometimes.

"Jake" I sighed "I need to tell you something." "You sure do" Jacob glared.

I walked over and sat down on the couch, praying that he won't snap.

Steadily, I reached over to open the drawer beside the couch and took out the small white crumpled parcel. I gingerly unfolded it and placed it in Jake's big russet colored hand.

I carefully studied his face while he read the letter but Jake kept a perfect poker face though his brow furrowed once.

After he finished the letter, he kept staring at it as if trying to decipher something out of it. "Jake" I whispered quietly, my voice sounding loud in the heavy silence that had befallen upon us.

"So the Cullens will be staying here until Dumbledore returns" he stated more to himself.

I nodded minutely still gauging his reaction. But when his face betrayed nothing I slowly relaxed my stance, standing upright.

"And what will you do if by the time you have to be back in school, Dumbledore has still not returned?" he asked stiffly, his eyebrow arched. "I don't think we will encounter that dilemma. Dumbledore will undoubtedly be back by the start of the new term" I replied.

He nodded his aura still low-spirited. "So" he asked after a slight pause "You are going to let them back into you life?"

I looked at him incredulously "Of course not Jake. I am so happy you think so highly of me. I do have a sense of mind and you know what, whether I let them back in my life or not, it is none of your business" I yelled.

By the time I finished my rant, I was fuming while Jake himself looked like he was having a hard time controlling himself.

"Isabella" he yelled outraged "it is my business. It is my job to guard as per Dumbledore's orders. So, once Dumbledore returns I do not want you to maintain any contact with any of those leeches"

My eyes widened as Jake continued yelling at me. He had no right to tell me what to _do_! "Jacob Black" I seethed "you are not going to tell me who I should meet and who I shouldn't" I said glaring at him.

With that I turned on my heel and stomped up the stairs. Once I reached my bedroom. I slammed the door shut, the _bang_ echoing down the hallway. I slowly made my way over to my unmade bed, my body drained of energy, and flopped down on the covers.

Minutes passed as I tossed and turned on my bed. I kept my tears at bay not wanting to break down now. When I finally was on the verge of succumbing from exhaustion, the bedroom door creaked open and Jake stepped inside, his face apologetic.

Gingerly, he walked over to me and sat atop the covers. He sighed, scratching his nape "Bella, I didn't mean to say it that way. I am sincerely sorry and I don't want you to be angry with me for time being that I am here" he mumbled. I smiled at him, proud of him that he apologized first. "Jake, I am sorry too and I do forgive you" I replied.

Relieved, he smiled back at me and pushed me down on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and lay down beside me, his arm encasing my waist and like that we succumbed into a deep sleep.

The next time I woke, there were snarls, yells and growls surrounding the room.

**AN: Tada! Good? Bad? Review whatever you think plz. One review won't hurt!**

**Love,**


	5. Recovered

A/N: There you go!

DISCLAIMER- Mrs. Meyer owns it all.

Chapter 5- Recovered

I shot up from the bed, my blankets tumbling to the ground. From the pale white moonlight bathing my room I presumed that it was still nighttime. Gradually, I became aware of the happenings going around me and stumbled out of my bed. "What the hell is going on here?" I yelled over the noise.

Noticing my awake state, the room suddenly fell quiet but the annoyance on their faces was still evident. But the faces that stood out in my vision were of Edward and Jake; they were seething with rage.

Gradually drowsiness started drifting away and I realized that the only ones absent among the crowd in my room were Carlisle and Esme, whom I assumed were still not back from their search, and Jasper.

The room which only few moments ago had been in a chaotic condition was now screaming with silence. Everyone had frozen midway in their action upon hearing my outbursts.

Somewhere between the deafening silence a piercing cry jolted me out of my half- awake stupor. On hearing the pain filled cry it seemed everyone had frozen in shock. After a few moments, I was the first one to regain my composure even though vampire recovery rate was much faster than mine.

It took another few seconds to register the source of the cry from the room beside mine; it was Jasper's voice and the next moment we all were bolting out of the room, except Jake, Alice ahead of us all. She threw open the door, me and the rest of the Cullens right on her heels.

As soon as we burst into the room the first sight that met us was of Jasper withering on the bed while Alice was leaning beside him frantically fluttering her hands.

Since Carlisle wasn't here to handle the situation, I decided to take charge. "Alice" I called out "Calm down. There's nothing to panic about and let me take a look at him now." I ordered.

Obligingly, she moved aside allowing me to have a good look at Jasper; his limbs were stretched at an odd angle, his back arched. Ignoring the expectant stares pointed at me which were making me uneasy, I rushed over to Jasper's side and an unexpected sense of relief washed over me as I realized he was finally recovering from his comatose state.

With a smile etched on my features, I turned over to face my guests, more than joyous to inform them about the good news. "Well..." I said, stalling, enjoying their edgy faces "It looks like Jasper has finally recovered and will be waking up any minute now" I finished and by that time everyone was positively beaming.

Alice's liveliness which had been absent from her face for the past few days was now back at full force at hearing the good news about Jasper and before I could gather everyone's reactions, she was lunged at me, hugging me so tightly that I think my lungs stopped working.

"Alice" I gasped, trying to shove her off "I – I can't breathe".

"Oh sorry Bella" she apologized though she didn't sound sorry at all.

In a moment everyone was gathered around Jasper, blocking my view of him. "Give him a little space to breathe guys" I gently chastised.

At once, all of them moved away, sliding into the corners of the room except for Alice, who was kneeling beside Jasper, and Edward, who hade come to stand at my side.

We all waited in anticipation for Jasper to gain back consciousness. After minutes which seemed more like hours, his eyelids slowly fluttered open and he blinked them vigorously trying to adjust to the sudden brightness after spending days engulfed in darkness.

Once he had adjusted himself to a comfortable position, Alice who had been sitting quietly beside him all that time, attacked him with a hug her smile so wide that if she had been a human, she would have split her face into two.

"Jasper" she choked, her mood ranging from being relieved and excited to choked up. "Alice" he sighed back heavily in relief, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame and dragged her on the bed to lay beside him, all the while keeping his arm wound tightly around her.

Though he was now fully awake, his eyes still looked a bit disoriented as he processed his surroundings with vampire speed. "Where are we?" he asked, his stance stiff from tension.

Alice answered his question with enthusiasm bursting out of her. "You won't believe who we met Jazz" she squealed.

"Who?" Jasper asked still baffled, and I was a little surprised he had still not sensed my heartbeat or smelled the potent scent of my blood. My theory was that his vampire senses had still not entirely recovered.

"Bella!" Alice all but screamed out loud. On hearing my name, Jasper's gaze immediately snapped up to me as he took my presence in for the first time.

"Be- Bella" he stuttered, shock coloring his features. I smiled at him, trying to shake off some of his unease, which did not help his overly weak state.

"Hello Jasper" I greeted him politely but he continued staring at me, his mouth slightly open. After a few moments, I grew impatient and cleared my throat motioning for him to say something.

"You're beautiful" he blurted out. And as predicted, I felt my cheeks burn red. Slowly, as my blush died down, anger replaced me. I loathed my beauty; it never made anyone see the real me always keeping me in disguise.

And like that my mood started retreating back into its original pissed mode. The excitement which had earlier dominated my emotions was now slightly wearing off and I was infuriated with myself for letting my guard down so easily.

Before anyone could decipher the change in my demeanor, I righted myself by pasting a smile on my face, not wanting to dampen their good spirits, and thankfully no one had seen me retreat back into my prior form as they were all intently focused on Jasper.

But my effort to hide my sudden change of emotions was a futile attempt in the presence of Jasper, who was currently gazing at me intensely, confused by the sudden change in my manner.

Blushing a fiery red, I hastily averted my eyes suddenly finding interest in the wooden floorboards of the room. I feverishly hoped he wouldn't voice his doubts now and my posture grew stiff when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Bella" he called out once more in surprise. "I never expected to meet you in a strange place like this" he mused while his eyes held gratefulness.

"Neither did I Jasper but I guess circumstances did make us all meet again" I replied back.

He nodded with a slight smile and then turned back to Alice.

"I am feeling a bit strange, weaker than usual" Jasper said aloud to no one in particular, "Where are Carlisle and Esme?" he asked glancing around.

At hearing Jasper's unease they all turned to me, expectantly which confused Jasper even more. _Seriously, what was I here? A qualified doctor? Sheesh! _

"Carlisle and Esme have gone to find out about Dumbledore" Alice answered his latter question.

Hesitantly, I shifted from my position and shuffled towards him. While I did trust Jasper, my body's reactions were still in complete contrast with my feelings. It was apparently still wary of Jasper after our little _incident. _

"Well" I started, trying and failing miserably at sounding professional, "do you remember anything before you blacked out?" I asked.

"Um..." he fumbled trying to retain his fuzzy memories which was a little shocking considering he was a vampire. "It is not entirely clear but I remember the flash of a blue light blinding me before I blacked out" he mumbled.

I progressed the information he had given me in my mind and the more I thought about it the more confused I got. It was crystal clear that Voldemort was back but what was nagging me was the fact that why did the death eaters attack the Cullens? It made absolutely no sense unless it was done to scare the muggles or warn Dumbledore.

Now that I thought about it, it seemed more appropriate that it had been done to warn Dumbledore and the Cullens would have been the perfect target as they were Dumbledore's guests.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I realized that I had taken a bit too long to _progress _the information.

"Since you are feeling weak, I suggest that you don't exert yourself so soon after _waking_ up" I said firmly, gesturing him lie down.

He did as I said, though there was confusion coloring his features, and eased himself on the bed.

"For now I guess it is best if only Alice stays with Jasper so the room is less claustrophobic and plus if gets a panic attack it can be quite harmful for him" I addressed all of them.

Everyone nodded their head reluctantly at my instruction and slowly slipped out of the room. Before leaving, I turned to the couple that was cuddled up on the bed giving them a small friendly smile before rushing out of the room and closing the door shut behind me.

As soon as I stepped into the hallway, my foot got tangled up with my other one causing me to trip.

But before I had the time to even brace myself for the impact, a pair of strong, cold arms caught me by the waist. My head snapped coming face to face with the most amazing shade of amber and an almost godlike face. For how many hours I stood, wrapped up in Edward's arms I didn't know but after a few moments my breaths started coming in short gasps, and I realized that I had stopped breathing.

Pulling myself out of his embrace, I shook my head trying to clear out the daze and scolded myself for letting my guard down for the second time this day. When I finally calmed my breathing, I looked up only to feel a _whoosh _of wind and a ghostly chuckle that passed beside me.

"Stupid vampire" I muttered to myself just as I heard the front door open, announcing the arrival of Carlisle and Esme.

**A/N: First, thanks to all those who reviewed. I really, really appreciate them. Second, please vote for the poll on my profile. And about this chapter, please review whatever you think!**

**Love'**


	6. The Truth

**A/N: Hope you enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER- Mrs. Meyer owns it all.**

Chapter 6- The Truth

Since everyone except Jasper and Alice, who were probably savoring each others presence, had gone down to fill Esme and Carlisle on the recent events I decided to add my presence to the party also.

"Jasper's awake?" Esme's voice floated through "Is he alright? "Is Alice with him right now?" Esme continued on her voice a mixture of concern, relief and excitement.

Suppressing a laugh at seeing Esme's all too familiar compassion towards her family, I pointed a finger upwards indicating that she could go meet Jasper.

Giving me a grateful smile she hurried upstairs, her form blurred by her speed. "Bella" Carlisle called.

"Yes?" I said, turning back to face him.

"Thank you" he breathed, gratitude flooding his voice.

"It's nothing Carlisle. What I did, think of it as my repayment to you all for saving my life" I replied back.

At hearing my words his face immediately fell down, his expression forlorn.

"Is something wrong?" I asked whilst going through what I might have said that had offended him.

"No- No it's just that I thought it was more" he said forcing a smile on his face as if trying to reassure me.

The answer that he had given me though, had left me totally baffled and made no sense to me, so instead of ramming my head, trying to figure out _that_ answer, I dismissed it from my mind.

All of us stayed in the living room for an hour and then I retired back to my room bidding them good night.

_**EPOV**_

After Bella retreated back to her room, everyone dived into discussing the information that Carlisle and Esme had gathered and our encounter with the mutt.

Esme and Carlisle had been able to gather only a little information from the villagers. Very few people knew about Dumbledore's whereabouts currently but they had been reluctant to tell Carlisle and Esme considering they were both strangers and their natural instinct to protect themselves which made them wary amongst us.

"All we were able to fish out was that he will be back this week surely" Carlisle announced, his face relieved of the tension that had been eating him since yesterday.

It was a rare occurrence when Carlisle was tensed which made us all the more tense especially in a place which you know nothing about and the day you arrive, accidents befall on you.

In turn, all of us filled them both on our incident with the _dog_, who was currently sleeping in a spare guest room. Even Carlisle and Esme were not happy with the presence of Black in the house but they tried to reign in their distaste, not allowing it to reflect on their faces.

"You know" Emmett said in his boisterous voice "now that Jasper is well and all and we have the squirt back with us, I feel much lighter" he said flexing his muscles swiftly as if to prove a point.

"Emmett" Jasper's weak voice came from upstairs "you can never feel light; you are too heavy for your own good"

Emmett rolled his eyes at Jasper's statement. "I meant emotionally, Jazz" he retorted, his tone as if he was explaining it to a five-year old.

Jasper's reply didn't come but it was nice anyway to see them both back at bickering with each other again even if made totally no sense.

"Carlisle" Esme's voice broke the silence after a few moments "I think we all deserve to know more elaborately about this strange friend of yours. I don't mean to judge him but you never have mentioned him before and with the attack on Jasper, I don't think it is too safe to keep us in the dark anymore" she said firmly.

"Esme" Carlisle sighed whilst he shook his head in denial "it is not my story to tell"

"I don't care" Esme said, anger coloring her voice which again was a rare occurrence "What if one of us gets hurt? Do you want that Carlisle? Why don't you see that this could prove to be highly risky for us if we don't know the sufficient information" she said, her voice turning pleading at the end.

Carlisle sighed again but this time dejectedly and I could sense his resolve wavering. Finally, he nodded, giving in.

At his acceptance, al of us leaned for forward more than eager to learn more about this intriguing yet deadly place.

"First, I would like to ask" Carlisle began "Do any of you believe that there are any other supernatural beings other than vampires and werewolf on Earth?" he asked.

All of us shook our head at once, not believing in them existing since we had never encountered them.

Carlisle nodded his head at our response, knowingly. "Well then you have to believe that there are" he said calmly. All of us froze at his statement even though we all had concluded this somewhere back in our mind.

I myself had realized that Dumbledore wasn't a vampire after seeing his picture and neither could he have been a werewolf for vampires and werewolves were natural enemies and an alliance between them could never exist even in a thousand years.

"Then what are they?" I asked on behalf of everyone since the rest were still rendered speechless after the shocking revelation.

"To put it forth simply" Carlisle said, still collected "they have magical powers and by that, yes, I do mean that witches and wizards exist"

"You mean" Esme choked out "that Dumbledore is a- a wizard?" she said, her statement coming out more like a question.

Carlisle nodded to her, confirming her assumption.

"But what could a wizard possibly need from us?" Emmett asked, his features a mixture of excitement and daze.

Carlisle shrugged at this "I have no idea" he said, frustrated. All of us remained silent after that, digesting the information that had just been uncovered.

"Wow" Emmett exclaimed, his eyes wide like a child's "that means that magic does exist" he said in wonder.

All of us nodded along with Carlisle, dazedly.

"But does this mean that the people residing in this village are also wizards and witches? After all it is not hard to decipher their strange behavior" Esme asked.

"I'm not exactly positive" Carlisle replied "but I am quite sure that they are not humans"

"But then where does Bella fit into this?" I asked, surprising even myself with the question that I had unthinkingly blurted out.

"That is what I have been thinking for a long time now" Carlisle said, his expression peculiar. "She knows things that I don't, especially considering that Jasper was attacked a wizards and she knew the cure to his state" Carlisle replied, his mind far away.

"Is it possible then that she is a witch?" Rosalie asked skeptically.

"It can be an option" Carlisle countered "but it seems highly unlikely. I can't picture Bella as a witch in any condition but then that leaves a lot of questions unanswered"

"You can just ask her you know" Alice's voice floated from upstairs.

"She's gone to sleep Alice if you have noticed" I snapped, feeling edgy due to the current circumstances.

"And if you've noticed, she is still awake in her bedroom" she snapped back.

And Bella was indeed awake; her heart was too erratic to be asleep. I had been so immersed in our conversation that I had not even noted that she had never gone to sleep in the first place.

"You think we should ask her?" I turned to Carlisle, asking for his opinion.

"Well, I wouldn't harm us in any way" he answered with a shrug "and maybe I can get my answers."

We all nodded and the five of us walked up the marble staircase. I hesitated outside Bella's room before tapping my knuckles on it three times. My knock was followed by silence and then the sound of the bed creaking could be heard. Bella slowly shuffled to the door before wrenching it open and slowly peered at us from behind it.

"Oh it's you" she said sounding a bit surprised "I thought it was Jake. Anyways, come on in" she said, motioning us in with her hand.

At hearing her comment about Jacob I clenched my fists and refrained myself from growling out loud.

Shoving past me, my family walked swiftly into the room while I forced myself to unfreeze, and stepped into the room.

The room was large enough to fit us all comfortably.

"Is there anything you wanted" Bella asked quizzically, her eyebrows raised.

"Actually, yes" Carlisle answered "We were wondering if you know anyone that goes by the name of Albus Dumbledore?"

"Albus Dumbledore?" Bella said "I've heard his name being passed among the people in the village but I don't know him personally. Why? Do you want anything from him?"

"No, the thing is that we came here to visit him but he had to urgently leave the town due to crisis and so we are stuck here" Carlisle replied.

"Oh" Bella said her look calculating.

"If you don't mind, can I ask you another question" Carlisle asked again.

"Yeah sure go ahead"

"Can you explain how you knew the cure to Jasper's state and how you defeated the attackers when three vampires weren't able do so?"

"Why do you ask? I mean these kind of things keep happening in the village" Bella asked nervously, fiddling with her fingers.

At her question, Rosalie looked at her amusedly and contributed to the conversation for the first time "Why do you even try to lie? You know very well that you can't?" Rosalie said exasperatingly.

"I'm not lying" Came Bella's stiff reply. She had stopped fidgeting and sat on the bed in a rigid pose.

"Though I understand your inquisitiveness, I would appreciate if you don't interfere in my personal matters please" Bella said, all signs of friendliness wiped off from her face.

Carlisle opened his mouth and then closed it, understanding that he won't be getting anymore answers from Bella.

Following Carlisle's lead, we all got up and made our way to the door but the sudden sound of the window sliding open, stopped us in our tracks.

We whipped around to see a white colored manila floating in the air.

But what bewildered us all the more was when it opened up by itself and a female voice started reciting the message from inside.

With a gasp, I turned to Bella who had eyes as wide as saucers whilst she looked between us and the floating envelope, all the while opening and closing her mouth as if trying to explain something.

**A/N: Thankx to all those who reviewed especially Aakshi ( Your Sis…whatever!). As for this chapter…. Review!**

**Also it may be awhile since I next update cuz there is a lot of work coming from school.**


	7. The Letter

**DISCLAIMER: It all belongs to Mrs. Meyer. And a very happy new 2011!**

**Chapter 7- The Letter**

**EPOV**

Bella quickly snagged the envelope from the air and placed it under her knee while all of us stood in the doorway, gob smacked.

"Care to explain?" Rosalie asked after a few moments of silence, her brows raised.

"I-uh-actually" Bella stuttered.

"I thought you said you don't know anything relating to Albus Dumbledore" Carlisle said, taken aback.

"How is this related to him?" Bella asked infuriated, while all of us including Jasper and Alice-who had joined us- looked at him with perplexed expressions.

At Bella's question, Carlisle amusedly raised his eyebrows.

"Dumbledore is a wizard Bella" Carlisle replied leaving us all shell shocked except for Bella who instead of looking at him weirdly, started fidgeting nervously in her bed.

It took us all a while-even as vampires-to initially get over the shock.

"If you don't mind, we would like to ask you some questions" Jasper said finally, motioning for Carlisle to start without waiting for Bella's response.

Regardless, Bella nodded her head and scooted back on the bed as we settled ourselves back in the room.

"I want you to be straight forward with this conversation and I want you to answer honestly. Of course we respect your privacy and if you get uncomfortable with a certain subject, we understand" Carlisle started.

As an answer, Bella nodded, her posture rigid again and I knew that she was anticipating the worst.

I longed to go and comfort her, to relieve the tension from her stiff shoulders but I refrained myself from doing so.

"Do you know Albus Dumbledore?" Carlisle began.

"Yes"

"How?" he asked

"He is the Headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" Bella replied, still defensive.

"And you are a student there?"

"Yes"

"Then that means you are a witch? A fact that you lied to us about"

"Yes I am a witch and I didn't lie about that fact, I just hid it from you" Bella corrected.

A _witch, _my Bella was a witch? It was hard trying to imagine her as a supernatural being as it is. As if knowing that magical beings existed wasn't enough, the fact that my Bella was a witch was too much even for a vampire to handle.

But right now what hurt the most was that while I had trusted Bella with my secret, she hadn't and before I knew I was unthinkingly voicing my thought, which was happening quite a lot as of lately.

"I would have told you all that I was a witch if I wasn't bound by secrecy" Bella sighed, forlornly.

"Secrecy?" Alice questioned.

"Yeah, I could have gotten into trouble for using magic underage in the presence of muggles and to prove myself a witch, I would have obviously needed to show you all some magic…."Bella trailed off.

"Muggles?" Esme questioned the unusual term used by Bella.

"Muggles are non-magical people, mostly it is used to refer to humans" Bella answered.

"Oh"

After a long silence then, in which everyone processed their thoughts, Carlisle asked Bella:

"Is your name really Isabella Swan?"

The question shocked us all, for we had never considered it, but now it didn't seem that irrelevant considering the shocking secrets which had been revealed about Bella just in a few minutes span.

"Partly" Bella answered "My name is Isabella Potter not Swan"

"Charlie and Renee are not your real parents then?" Emmett spoke up for the first time during the entire interrogation.

"No" Bella shook her head "My real parents were Lily and James Potter"

"Were?" Esme asked with dread.

"They died when Harry and I were both a year old" Bella explained.

"Harry?" I asked

"Harry is my twin brother. In fact, he will be arriving here in a day or two" Bella informed.

"How did your parents die Bella?" Esme asked softly, concern etched on her face.

"I'd rather not relieve those memories Esme" Bella said with pain and bitterness laced in her voice "It's hurts as it is to be reminded that I am an orphan"

"Oh no, Bella" Esme cried "you know you are just like a daughter to us"

"I'm not looking for pity here Esme" Bella said, coldness seeping into her voice.

Esme winced at her cold tone and took hold of Carlisle's hand for comfort.

"What is your age Bella?" Alice chimed.

"17" she answered without a moment's hesitation.

"But shouldn't you be 21?" Emmett asked.

"I have to admit I did lie about that fact" Bella answered sheepishly "I was 14 when I met you. I just changed my appearance to look a bit older and it was easy to keep up my charade as a seventeen year old for I am more mentally mature than those humans anyways."

"Can you show us some magic?" Emmett asked eagerly after a moment, his eyes lit up with excitement.

"I just told you I can get into trouble for using it among muggles" Bella sighed.

"Though it looks like I already am" she muttered to herself – though it was audible to us all – and glanced at the white sheet of paper tucked under her knee.

"But we are not humans" Emmett protested.

"No you are not" Bella said, exasperated "but the Ministry may count you as one because even though you do not carry magic in your blood. And to add to the fact, vampires are very rarely seen in the wizarding world and believe me, those vampire have not really set a good reputation for themselves among us."

"Does the wizarding world have a Ministry as well?" Carlisle asked, intrigued.

"Yeah" Bella replied "they are kind of like the Volturi, they make sure that no one exposes our kind and punish those who are at fault. Of course the Ministry of Magic exists for other purposes also. You can say it more or less functions the way that the parliament does" Bella explained.

"You know about the Volturi?" I asked, shocked.

"I've read quite a lot about them actually" Bella answered with a yawn.

"I think we should let you sleep now. We'll continue the interrogation tomorrow" Carlisle spoke up before any more questions could be voiced.

Bella nodded gratefully in response and shuffled out of the covers to shut the door behind us.

**BPOV**

I leaned against the bedroom door after slamming it shut and rubbed my sweaty palms on my night shirt.

As if getting a letter from the ministry wasn't enough to fill me with dread, the Cullens just came to know about my secret. But telling them my secret did help in relieving some part of my tension.

But as much as I disliked the Cullens right now, their opinion did matter. The way that they would think of me now, I know it will affect me somewhere deep down my heart.

Still trying to calm my erratic heart, my eyes landed on the white manila lying on the covers. Rushing towards it, I grabbed it from the bed and placed it on my desk. I hastily ripped the top open, not bothering for a letter opener and shook the envelope until a sheet of white, crisp paper fell into my outstretched palm.

My eyes scanned the letter, my vision getting dizzy as I read further. Not able to believe it, my eyes swept through it for the second time.

_Dear Ms Potter,_

_We have received intelligence that you performed a stunning charm at twenty-three minutes past nine yesterday evening in the presence of muggles._

_The severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand._

_As you have already received an official warning for a previous offence under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlock's Statue of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9a.m. on the 12__th__ of August._

_Hoping you are well,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Improper use of Magic Office_

_Ministry of Magic_

They cannot expel me from Hogwarts! For Christ's sake, I didn't even perform magic in front of _muggles_. And even if I had, it would have been solely for defense's purposes.

This cannot be happening. Hogwarts has and will be the only place that Harry and I ever truly acknowledged as home and they cannot simply throw out of there without even getting the damn facts right.

"Aaargh" I let out a frustrated yell, clutching the letter tightly in my hands.

It took quite a lot of time for me to control my emotions. Slowly, the shock and incredulousness started to wear off and tension replaced them.

What was I going to do now?

After hours of contemplating I finally decided to give it a rest and wait for a letter from the Order since they would have surely been informed by now of my hearing on the 12th of August.

Even though the thought of the Order's help was a little comforting, my tense posture due to the anticipation of the future still lingered.

Forcing myself to look on the optimistic side, I realized that there were chances of me not being expelled from Hogwarts. If I proved in the court hearing that the Cullens are not humans but vampires and if I get Dubledore's help then there was still hope.

Deprived of my sleep, I walked aimlessly in the house, trying to keep my footfalls as silent as possible.

"What are you doing out so late in the night?" Jacob's sudden appearance made me jump a foot in the air.

"That's the second time you have nearly scared me to death Jake" I glared at him.

"Sorry" he mumbled sleepily.

"So?" He prompted

"Just not feeling sleepy" I answered with a shrug.

"Anything wrong?" Jake asked, immediately more alert.

"The Ministry sent a letter" I sighed, eager to get it out of my chest "I am most probably been expelled from Hogwarts"

"Expelled" he asked, shocked "for what?"

"For defending the Cullens from the Death Eaters. They think that the Cullens are muggles and as far as I know, they still probably think that Voldemort along with the Death Eaters has vanished long ago. But I know that he is back" I whispered in the end.

At hearing me, Jacob's expression immediately steeled and the next time he spoke his voice was cold; "I think we need to talk"

Then he guided me back into his room, the atmosphere suddenly tenser than before.

**A/N: There you go! Once again, a very happy new year! It will take a long while until I next update guys!**

**Love**


	8. Repaired

**A/N:Phew! Finally exams are over! Sorry for not updating for so long guys but hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER- owns all things twilight**

"What the hell have you done" Jacob growled after slamming the door shut.

"What have I done?" I asked, confused.

"You can't go off revealing your secret whenever you see someone in trouble Bella" Jake continued.

"This isn't you Jake! You have never objected before when I've almost blown off my secret trying to protect someone. Maybe it's because the truth is that you cannot stand the fact that this time, instead of _someone_ it was the Cullens" I seethed, anger seeping into me.

"What do you mean?" Jacob asked incredulously.

"You are jealous Jake, now that the Cullens are beck in my life"

"Why the hell would I be jealous?" he questioned with rage "my job is to protect you and just for once, will you take the pain to see what the result of helping the Cullens is!"

"Wait" I said incredulously "are you implying that I am to be blamed for this. You, the person who is supposed to trust me and support me and not as a protector but as my best friend who knows the truth behind every false fact that they have accused me of" I finished, tears streaming down my face by the end of it.

I quickly dabbed them off with my shirt's sleeve, not letting them blur my vision and swallowed the lump in my throat.

"I'm sorry Bella" Jake apologized immediately "I didn't mean to upset you and this talk to come across so rudely. I was just trying to make you see my point and I guess I got a bit Carried away" he said grinning his rarely seen boyish grin.

Of course it was impossible not to forgive him after that. So, I nodded and mustered up a weak smile on my blotchy face and went forward to wrap my arms around his torso.

"I'm sorry" he repeated against my hair, hugging me back tightly.

"It's okay, I forgive you" I whispered back to him.

"But I still do not appreciate the presence of the Cullens, Bella" he said after a moment of silence, scarring the peacefully settled friendly atmosphere.

"I did not make a mistake Jake" I said, pulling out of his embrace "and I will stand by my decision. It is up to you to decide whether you want to stand by me or let your hatred for the Cullens overpower you" I said as calmly as the situation allowed.

"Jake" I sighed when he didn't respond "admit it or not but I know that your adverse reaction is partly because this time I _have_ revealed my secret trying to be a martyr and that is something you are not happy about. But I also know that the greater reason is your hatred for the Cullens and considering that the situation is concerned with the Cullens, your distaste is to be expected"

"Their comeback in my life is something that even I am not pleased about" I said while Jake remained expressionless and mute about his emotions.

I heaved a sigh when he remained immobile and was about to give up when he finally spoke up.

"You're wrong" he said ruefully "you are pleased about the reappearance of the Cullens in your life"

"Of course not" I denied instantly

"You are happy Bells" Jake continued, choosing to ignore my denial. "Tell me if you will be happy if they leave right now. Tell me you can part with them without breaking you heart again. Tell me you still aren't madly in love with that leech. Tell me" he sighed at the end.

I stood there, shocked at Jacob's little speech. In a way he had seen through this mess more clearly than I had because now that I think about it, the thought of leaving the Cullens now or parting with them again filled me with a sense of dread and loneliness. My heart deflated at the mere thought of it.

To come to think of it, Jake was right, the Cullens carried a feeling of a happy family for me, and they had been my guiding light in Forks unknowingly. I already missed Alice so much that sometimes I wanted to cry out loud. And Edward….. Edward whom I will keep in my heart forever no matter what. For so many months…. years I denied myself that fact, wanting to mask and bury my feeling for him once and for all. But it is easier said than done, even more difficult if you truly love that person. But I am still not ready to fall headfirst in love again.

The wall that I had constructed, the hard exterior that I had managed to put up in front of the Cullens was too stubborn to crumble so easily. The shield I had built to protect myself from getting hurt again was hesitant to let its guard down even when the heart screamed at it to let go. It was not easy after all.

"I have to go" I managed to choke out before sprinting out of the room, tears gushing down my face due to my recent epiphany.

I didn't bother to wipe them off this time, letting them blur my vision which added to my uncoordinance .

As expected I ran straight into a wall and stumbled back before tripping on my own two shoes. Instinctively I braced myself for the impact only to be caught by a pair of cold, familiar arms. The said arms pulled me upright and I realized I had run into Edward and not a wall.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going" I mumbled, embarrassed and attempted to wipe my tears without him noticing which expectedly proved to be a futile attempt.

"What's wrong Bella?" he asked, appalled while his fingers reached out to catch the escaping tears.

His other hand was wrapped around my waist, our bodies pressed together. His frantic movements ceased after a while but his face remained contorted into an expression of panic and worry. His hazel colored orbs were filled with concern. Concern over me.

"Bella" Edward's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Uh, it's nothing, just some news" I lied.

Edward quirked his eyebrow at my answer, seeing right through my lie.

"Just had an epiphany" I sighed when he didn't budge.

"What epiphany may I ask?" he questioned

I didn't respond to his question instantly, instead I reached out with my hand to tenderly touch his cheek.

My hand skimmed over his face, my fingertips barely touching his skin. My eyes were trained on my hand but I could feel his penetrating gaze on my face.

"I forgive you" I whispered finally

"What?" he asked believing he had heard wrong and I scoffed in my head at the impossibility of it.

"I forgive you for leaving Edward" I repeated "you tried to do what you thought was right but it was not. But it's okay to make wrong decisions once in a while. Everyone makes mistakes"

"You-You forgive me? Really?" he asked, hope glimmering and reflecting in his eyes.

"Mmmh" I nodded confirming it to him.

"Thank you" he whispered, my favorite cooked smile claiming his outrageously beautiful face. He slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to my forehead, lingering there. I drew in a ragged breath when he pulled away, my heart hammering against my chest.

"But" I interrupted after retaining my coherency "I'm not ready to fall back in a relationship yet. My heart won't be able to take it if you leave me again."

"I'm not leaving you again Bella, I love you" Edward said, his voice full of conviction as he took my face between his hands, forcing our eyes to meet.

There was a determined kind of fire burning in his eyes, assuring me.

I nodded mutely at his words, stunned by the intensity of them.

"I'm not going to push you away now Edward, what ever needs to happen- I wont try to stop fate but I'm- I'm scared of what it will result in" I whispered after a while.

"I was naïve back then; love seemed like such a beautiful thing that I didn't think twice about it. And I was prepared for the challenges that would come along, I was sure we would face them together but never once did the thought of facing them alone came to my mind because the possibility of it seemed highly unlikely" I sobbed.

"Do I still have a chance?" he whispered, agonized.

I shrugged at his question. "You have to earn back my trust Edward, only then there is a chance but for now, I would like us to be just friends." I said.

"Whatever you want us to be Bella but I promise you, you will trust me again. But for now I will gladly accept whatever you decide to give me and if what you want is us to be just friends then that's what we'll be" he whispered fiercely, his orchard orbs boring into my eyes, my face clutched tightly yet delicately in his cold, marble hands.

I don't know for how many hours or minutes we stood there gazing at each other but we were interrupted by a sharp on the window in the middle of the hallway.

Breaking apart, I used the interruption to clear my head and wrenched open the window to reveal blackish gray owl.

It took a moment to register that it was a Ministry owl. Warily, I unstring the letter from the owl and it fluttered away before I could find something for it to eat.

"What is it?" Edward materialized behind me causing me to jump a foot in the air.

"An owl from the Ministry" I replied back with a sigh, my attention once again diverted to the parcel in my hand.

"Owl?"

"To deliver a letter. There was another this evening when you all were leaving the room and then you saw it and well you know the rest" I replied.

"What letter?"

"The first notified that I have been expelled from Hogwarts. I wonder why they sent another one" I mused to myself, and suddenly I started feeling hopeful, my thoughts leaning on the optimistic side.

Nervous, I ripped off the top and pulled out the letter, eagerly unfolding it. As my eyes raked over the page, I was aware of Edward reading it over my shoulder.

_Dear Ms Potter,_

_Further to our letter approximately three hours and twenty-six minutes ago the Ministry of Magic has revised its decision to destroy your wand until your disciplinary hearing which is now on the 22__nd__ of August, at which time an official decision will be taken._

_Following discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Ministry has agreed that the question of your expulsion will also be decided at that time. You should therefore consider yourself suspended from school pending further enquiries._

_With best wishes,_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Improper Use of Magic Office_

_Ministry of Magic_

"Thank god!" I exhaled shakily in relief after putting down the letter. The knowledge that an official decision regarding my expulsion had not been made yet, gave me an acute sense of relief.

"You've got a hearing on the 22nd of August?" Edward questioned.

I nodded in response and then turned to him, all the while grinning widely.

He smiled crookedly in response to my grin though I doubt that he understood the reason behind my sudden mood change.

"Well now that it seems you are feeling peaceful enough, I think you should go to bed, it's quite late now" he stated.

I yawned in cue of his statement.

"Goodnight Edward" I whispered walking back towards my room.

"Goodnight Bella" he whispered back and I could feel his piercing gaze on my back as I closed the door.

Contended, I welcomed the darkness finally succumbing to it.

**A/N: There you go!**

**Review! **


	9. Tour

**A/N: **

**DISCLAIMER- Mrs. Meyer owns it all**

**Chapter 9- Tour**

"Argh" I groaned as I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow. The bright sunlight was pricking my eyes and it took me a while to grasp in my sleepy state that someone had opened the blinds

"Still not a morning person, I see" someone chirped behind me.

I spun around to face the owner of the voice, nearly tumbling out of the bed in the process.

"Alice" I breathed when I saw her. She was standing at the edge of the bed, a full blown smile gracing a face.

"Good morning, sleepy head" she chimed, throwing my covers away while bouncing on the bed making the springs groan in protest.

"What are you doing in my bedroom at six in the morning?" I questioned after glancing at the alarm clock beside my bed.

"Waking you up" she answered simply.

"For what?" I prompted.

"Oh- well-um it's just that Edward told us about your conversation yesterday and I couldn't wait so…." She trailed of sheepishly but the smile on her face remained unwavering.

"Oh and it's not only me but everyone's eager to meet you" she was quick to add on.

"Give me a few minutes to shower and change and then I'll meet you downstairs" I told her, giving up the idea of getting a bit more sleep.

She nodded and walked out of the room but not before leaning in and giving me a kiss on the cheek.

Sighing, I rubbed my eyes and willed my self to hop out of the bed. It was half an hour later that I finally descended the stairs to meet everyone. Funny, how it felt like we were meeting for the first time after Forks.

"Finally" Alice squealed once she caught sight of me- even though she would have long heard the sound of my footsteps descending from the stairs- and jumped up from the couch to hug me while the others smiled at me happily, still a bit unsure if being close to me would be okay or not. But, instead of reassuring them I let the matter slide and took my seat next to Emmett.

"We really are grateful for your forgiveness Bella. What we did was unfair to you. We did it without rationally thinking of the consequences but at that time the concept of keeping you safe was the only thought dominating all of our minds " Esme initiated and the others nodded after her.

"We all our sorry for going along with our _stupid_ brother's _stupid_ decision but we cannot take back what has already happened and I…. I would just like to put it in the past now" Alice pleaded

"I have already forgiven you" I sighed "We all made bad decisions and we all were wrong on our parts but it's in the past now; It is best if we forget about it."

Everyone nodded at my statement with smiles which were followed by hugs from everyone.

"So….. Show us some magic!" Emmett literally bounced excitedly.

"I already told you I can't perform anything outside of school" I replied to his request, confused as to why he was repeating it.

"You were serious about that?" he asked, looking like a child who had been retold that he wouldn't be getting a treat of ice cream.

"Yeah…." I drew out out, still confused "What were you thinking?"

"Nothing" he answered uncomfortably, hastily trying to wrap up the topic.

But I was too suspicious of his behavior to let it go so easily now.

"Emmett" I prodded.

When he didn't budge, I pushed further "If you don't tell me right now, I won't tell you a word more about witchcraft" I warned him.

His eyes widened slightly before the answer rushed out "I-I uh I thought that maybe you were just making it up, you know about that no-magic-outside-school rule" he mumbled at the end.

"Emmett" I said slightly offended that he thought so low of me.

"No" he cried as he took in my expression "I meant to say that you weren't comfortable enough around us to show your true identity" he explained himself and I relaxed out of my mood.

"You know what?" I squealed suddenly as a realization came into my mind.

"I may not be able to show it to you right now but I can certainly give you a full blown execution once we're in school" I elaborated in response to their quizzical looks.

Immediately the aura of the room changed to one of happiness and excitement.

"It is not certain that we'll be going to school with you Bella. We haven't even met Dumbledore yet" he said, always the voice of reason.

"Well, I'm quite sure of the reason you're here for and if it is what I think it is then you are surely going to Hogwarts" I said before anyone could grumble.

"You know what we are here for? Did you talk to Dumbledore? When is he coming?" Carlisle immediately let out a stream of questions.

"Well, I am not certain about the reason but I have a fairly good idea and no, except from a letter from Dumbledore I didn't receive anything else from him and as for your third question, I think he'll be coming along with Harry" I answered, a smile taking over my face at the mention of my brother.

"When will Harry be coming?" Esme asked inquisitively.

"Today late evening or tomorrow early morning"

"So what are we doing today?" Alice asked who had been surprisingly quiet for almost the entire conversation.

"I don't have any specific plans" I answered with a shrug.

"You could give us a tour of this place" Rosalie suggested and I was taken aback by the kind tone of her voice.

"That's perfect!" Alice cried enthusiastically.

After the plan was finalized, Alice pranced away for a while to gather the things but not before giving us strict instructions to wear what she had already picked and laid out for us on our beds.

It was late afternoon when we finally exited the house. Even though I had told the Cullens that though Godric's Hollow did not have many tourist spots, it did hold evidences of some of the most important incidents that had ever taken place in the wizarding world.

"Godric's Hollow is named after Godric Gryffindor. He was one of the founders of Hogwarts. Each of the houses in school is named after one of the founders; mine is named after Godric Gryffindor." I began.

We were walking towards the graveyard behind the church first; to visit my parent's grave. I had yet to tell the Cullens about my full history.

Aside from the recent happenings which had somewhat lead to the revival of my and the Cullen's relation, my heart was also soaring with happiness due to the news of Harry's arrival. The infamous trio would be arriving somewhere between late evening today or early morning tomorrow.

Snapping back from my high, I saw the cemetery resting ahead, an eerie aura settled over it. Almost as if the winds were whispering among themselves to lure me towards the graveyard, old memories mocking me as more of the graveyard came into view.

It was only when I felt a sting in my eye that I realized that unshed tears were swimming in them. No, I chided myself, I will not let this deter my happy morning, I am here to give a tour to the Cullens, not mourn over the loss of my parents. I could come later here with Harry to give them a proper remembrance. But today, there was more to do and I won't let a morning that had started on such a happy note become a grieving one.

"The village, although small and consisting of only a cluster of small houses, a pub, a post office and a church, plays a very important part in the history of the wizarding world" I initiated as we drew closer.

"It marks the beginning of a whole lot of events that changed and stunned the race of magic. Some of the darkest and the most greatest of wizards were born here"

As we walked on further, I realized we were walking in front of the war memorial.

"Wait" I called out to stop them as they were a few feet ahead of me. Everybody stopped and turned towards me and I motioned them to follow me.

Weaving a bit with the path, the memorial transformed into a statue when I came close enough. I could ditinctly hear the gasps of the Cullens behind me but I was too enamored by the staue to address them.

It was strange; seeing myself, Harry and our parents depicted like this, like a normal happy family. Almost bizarre.

"Are those your parents and your twin brother, honey?" Esme's sweet voice reminded me of their presence and I forced my gaze away from the statue which had again become a war memorial to face the her.

"Yes" I replied, my voice hoarse.

"A perfect family" Esme whispered, her gaze lingering on the spot where the statue had been just moments ago.

"Let's go" I said after composing myself and started walking forward, the Cullens after me.

We crossed the road and the sight of the the church grew more clear as we approached it.

There was a kissing gate at the entrance to the graveyard behind the church. I pushed it and it creaked loudly as it swung open. The air suddenly grew still, the chirping of the birds inaudible now. It almost seemed like I was right in the middle of the horror movie- you know the suspense part.

Shaking my mind off those insignificant thoughts, I saw row upon rows of tombstones protuding from the dry ground. We waded deeper and deeper into the graveyard, the path to their tombstones memorized by heart by now. Finally, after going fairly deeper in, we reached their headstone. It read;

_James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981_

_Lily Potter , born 30 January 1960, died 31 October 1981_

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death_

The first time I visited here with Harry, the last line had seemed disturbing, too resembling with Voldemort's motto.

After I gained control of my emotions, we left the graveyard. I had initially planned for us to go to the church but the Cullens refused to go there claiming that it just felt weird. Huh?, I guess hollywood had finally gotten into them, Ha!

So since that plan was cancelled our tour was cut short and aside from roaming in a few parks, we didn't really do anything the whole day. I ate lunch in a small reaurant beside the pub.

It was when it started getting dark, that we finally agreed to go back home. It was a quiet walk back there aside from the occasional whispering from some us. The forest in the night was truly a sight to behold. It was like being in a totally different world, like a fairytale in night. It is part of the reason I love staying here so much.

It was fairly dark when we reached my house. I fumbled for my keys in the purse and unlocked the door. The darkness settled in the living room somehow gave me a sense of unease as if someone was here and to add to the fact, the Cullens stiffened beside me.

"Finally, I thought I was going to be here alone for the night" a voice I recognized too well spoke and all of my unease disappeared.

Flipping on the switch beside me, I ran to the figure perched on my sofa.

"Harry" I cried as I launched myself into his arms. He laughed at my response and hugged me back.

"Hye there, Twin" he chuckled as he ruffled my hair. Once he set me back, I tugged at his hand and turned him towards the Cullens.

"Harry Potter if I am not wrong?" Carlisle asked before I could speak.

"And who might you be?" Harry asked taking a defensive position in front of me and I immediateatly started dreading this conversation.

**A/N: hey guys! Sorry for the very late update. **

**Review!**


	10. Back Home

**A/N: tada!**

**DISCLAIMER- Mrs. Meyer owns it all!**

**Chapter 10- Back Home**

"Oh, uh, this is Carlisle" I stuttered, fidgeting nervously.

"Carlisle?" Harry raised one eyebrow in question.

"Yeah"

"And the other six?"

"Carlisle's family, that's Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, Jasper and Edward" I replied pointing to each one of them and rushed through the last name.

"In other words, the Cullen family or should I say the _vampire_ coven" Harry said, his voice taking on an angry edge at the end. Though Harry was known to have sudden outbursts, I prayed that he would control himself for the time being; I didn't want him yelling in front of the Cullens. They had dealt with enough drama in the past few days. If it continued on like this, they were soon to be running as far away from here as possible.

"Edward Cullen?" Harry asked me though his now livid gaze was pointed towards Edward and I felt my hopes of possible peace sink down.

Knowing where this was heading, I quickly grabbed Harry's arm and dragged him upstairs mumbling a quick "excuse me" to our small audience.

I shut the door of my bedroom and turned to face Harry who was now literally vibrating of anger; it kinda reminded me of Jacob which reminded me that he had left again- without any notice.

Jacob had seemed to develop a knack of appearing and disappearing without any notice, I had gotten quite used to it now unlike the first time when I had almost hyperventilated out of worry.

Shaking my head, I focused on keeping my scattered thoughts in the present and faced Harry again.

"What are they doing here?" he snarled immediately and I jumped about a foot in the air.

"Living?" I answered meekly trying to lighten up the atmosphere by giving stupid comments.

But one glance at Harry's glare and I realized this was not a time to fool around.

"I saved them from an attack by the Death eaters" I replied.

"Death eaters? What…?" he asked frantically "I mean you fought the death eaters…Are you okay...Were you hurt?"his expression changing to one of concern.

"I am fine" I said drowning his worries. "Anyways, to continue, I brought them here since they had absolutely no idea where they were. They were supposed to meet Dumbledore actually…which reminds me, wasn't he supposed to be coming with you?"

"Yeah, but an unfinished business came up so he will be arriving probably in the afternoon"

"And Ron and Hermione?" I inquired

"They went to the burrow; Mrs. Weasely was on the verge of freaking out but back to the topic- How could you allow them back in your lives after all that they did to you?" he exclaimed.

"Firstly try to keep your voice down and secondly, why do all of you seem set to order me around. First Jacob and then you. I can make my own decisions and for your information, yes, I forgave them."

"You _forgave_ them" he said incredulously and his eyes went back to their livid form.

"Yes"

"That's it! They are not going to stay in this house for one minute more" he roared and barged out of the room in rage.

"Harry wait!" I cried as I ran after him and caught him in the middle of the hallway "You are going to do no such thing and please stop acting so childishly, let's…let's just talk about this and stop yelling" I reasoned.

"No" he growled lowly

"Please, just hear me out" I pleaded. After a while he nodded hesitantly and followed me back into the room.

"Talk" he growled after we were seated on the couch.

Taking a deep breath I started, hoping that I could convince him from doing something insane like throwing our guests out of the house and embarrassing us both.

"First, I think you should know that initially it was because of Dumbledore's request that I let them stay but other than that they are family to me Harry. Just get to know them, you'll love them as much as I do" I said softly "I know they left me and I know the pain that I suffered through but the true reason they left is something that I think even you couldn't be angry about even though I frankly, find it quite ridiculous"

"Dumbledore requested you to take care of them? That's hard to believe. But really, what is the _true_ reason about which you are so insistent that will change the way that I think of them" he said scathingly and I glared at him but answered.

"Edward thought that since even his own family was proving to be dangerous to me it was best if he kept me at a safe distance from his world which was only possible if we not see each other. He lied to me because he knew that if he told me the true motive, I would never have let him leave." I choked at the end.

It was quiet for a moment and I knew that Harry had not expected this. I let him process the new information and it was a long while before he spoke again.

"That was unexpected but I still don't like him or either of them for that matter" he determined and I sighed in exasperation.

"I love him Harry" I whispered and his incredulous gaze returned.

"How can you Bella? Sometimes despite us being twins, I don't understand you at all!"

"Have you ever been in love Harry" I asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.

"No, why?" he answered anyway.

"Then you won't understand. Love changes a person Harry, just wait till it happens to you" I said knowingly. He looked at me strangely for a moment then burst out laughing.

"What?" I demanded

"Nothing…..it's just…the way you said it….like you have years of wisdom in you….more than me even though you are younger" he gasped, clutching his stomach.

"Shut up and I am not younger than you" I scowled.

"Yes you are Twin, you are two minutes younger than me" he stated with a playful smile.

"It doesn't matter" I growled and smacked him on the arm.

"Yes it does" he laughed and attacked me with tickles.

"Stop" I squealed and squirmed underneath him trying to block his attack.

"Noooo" he sang in reply and carried on until I could feel tears running down my cheeks out of laughter.

My roaming hand then happened to fall on a pillow and I quickly grabbed it, hitting Harry full force with it.

"Ow!" he cried as his eyes searched the source behind the surprise attack. When his gaze landed on the pillow in my hand an evil glint lit his eyes and I scrambled up as fast as possible having a fairly good idea where this was heading.

Jumping on the other side of the bed, I snatched two pillows and held them in a defensive position in front of me.

"You're on Twin" Harry said before he smacked his pillow on me and thus began the pillow fight.

We ripped the pillows apart and by the end of it the whole room was covered in feathers, my bedside lamp was broken and one side of the shutter of my window hung limp.

As for Harry and I, we were currently lying on the floor, still recovering, and our deflated pillows by our side. It had been too long since we had been this carefree. It seemed like there was no where I could get a rest from getting tangled up in life or death incidents. Even in Forks, it was_ I_ who just had to go and mess with vampires. It seemed like whoever tried to keep me from danger did ultimately fail miserably. First Harry and then Edward. In fact, it was because of Harry that I originally came to Forks, since my lovely overprotective twin brother decided that it was not safe for me to go with him to find the horcruxes, he sent me to Forks and himself along with Ron and Hermoine went to find them. Apparently, everyone that I come to know is obsessed with my safety. I mean I'm not some fragile china doll! It is so unfair that Harry is the only one who is finding the horcruxes, after all we both are chosen ones and according to the prophecy it is only when we _both_ fire the killing curse together can Voldemort die. And Harry knows that when the moment comes mine and his life will be equally in danger, so I don't see the point of him keeping me away from all the fun! It literally makes me want to stomp my foot and whine like anything!

"But don't expect me to be nice with them" Harry's voice interrupted my thoughts.

It took me a moment to recollect what Harry was talking about and then I sighed in resignation. He could almost be as stubborn as me sometimes. It was infuriating!

"I give up!" I said, exasperated "Just don't throw them out of the house" I warned seriously.

"I'll try" he grinned at me and I glared back.

"So…..what will you like for your birthday? After all it's not that far away now." He asked, changing the topic.

"It's _our _birthday" I pointed "And I don't think we'd be in a position to celebrate it, not with you so far away and in danger. Plus it's not such a big thing either, I mean we're just turning seventeen, if it was sweet sixteen or maybe eighteen I would have given it a thought but not now."

"Nonsense" Harry said "of course we'll celebrate it, it's not every year we'll turn seventeen!"

"We'll see" I said, waving off the topic "But right now I need to tell you something important" I said suddenly remembering about the trial.

"What?"

"You remember I told you that I saved the Cullens from the death eaters?" I asked and he nodded in response.

"Well, since the Ministry of Magic keeps track of every action they came to know about it and since the Cullens could not be identified as species of the wizarding world, they thought them to be muggles" I explained and Harry drew in a sharp breath knowing what the consequences of this could be.

"I did get a letter from the Ministry stating my rustication but then another letter came and apparently Dumbledore had a talk with the Minister and they agreed for a trial to be held on 22nd."

It was quiet for a moment as Harry sat with his eyes as wide as saucers.

"You have a hearing on 22nd where they'll decide whether you can stay anymore in Hogwarts or not" he stated more to himself.

"Yeah"

"That's insane!" he burst out suddenly though I was more or less expecting it "they simply cannot expel you with false facts. I need to talk to Dumbledore as soon as he is here"

"So do I ", I said "But for now let's forget about this and go downstairs, we have other people in the house too" I dragged him from the arm outside the room.

"Be nice" I muttered right before we entered the living room and it seemed he heeded my order as he greeted the Cullens politely, at least as politely as he could. It was late afternoon when we were conversing with the Cullens lightly about mundane things when there was a knock on my door. Anticipating that it was Dumbledore, I rushed to open the door and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing his serene face and smiling face knowing now that he was here, things could head in a better direction.

"Good afternoon Bella" he greeted.

"Good afternoon professor" I greeted back

"Oh professor, you're here!" Harry called out as he came running to the door "Thank god, I need to talk to you urgently. Come in please"

"I know you need to talk Harry but first I must see to my guests to whom I have caused so much inconvenience" he insinuated and proceeded to walk towards the living room where the Cullens were currently seated.

Silently, I followed behind Professor and Harry and saw that the Cullens were already standing when we entered which was not at all surprising since they had heard Dumbledore's arrival.

"Carlisle, my friend!" Dumbledore greeted with a gleeful smile and shook Carlisle's hand and proceeded to kiss Esme's hand.

"And you must be Carlisle's lovely wife" he addressed Esme "I've heard quite a lot about you from him, seems he never can stop talking about you"

Seeing Proffesor like this made me wonder if he had been a charmer in his young age, poor Esme looked like she would have blushed had she been human and I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.

After the few more introductions of Carlisle's and Esme's 'children', Dumbledore seemed to get down on the subject.

"First, a welcome all of you to our world" Dumbledore initiated with a grin, his arms wide open emphasizing his greeting.

"I assume that Carlisle has let you on the basics of this world?" This time addressing Esme and the rest of Cullen kids only.

Esme nodded in response and I saw that her eyes were dancing with amusement, it took me a while to realize that she was amused at DumbleD's appearance which was not so surprising what with his never ending white beard, crinkly, sparkly eyes and an aura around him which made you feel like the man standing in front of you has some huge wisdom with him.

"Ok then" Prof. DumbleD sighed "I would like to discuss some important issues regarding the safety of Hogwarts actually" he hesitated for a moment but proceeded upon Carlisle's encouraging nod.

"I believe you know about Voldemort?" DumbleD **(A/N: haha!` I like the nick name) **asked and was surprised when the Cullens shook their head.

"Oh, Voldemort is one of the most powerful and dark wizard the magical world has ever seen. He is lethal something in front of which even vampires I think will be weak. He lives to kill. It's like when you see a canary being eaten by a cat, you feel like saving it from dying so ruthlessly but Voldemort will deliberately feed the canary to the cat just to get a thrill out of watching it struggle in vain"

There were collective murmers of disgust and worry in the room and as they died down, DumbleD continued on "Many people, out of fear of him often call him You Know Who or He Who Must Not Be Named"

Esme gasped at this "It is horrible to even think about the measures he must have taken to instill such fear in these people" she exclaimed.

"I would say that the most targeted by Voldemort are Mudbloods" DumbleD informed "Neither of their parents are a part of this world and they are pretty much treated as outcasts. Voldemort absolutely loves to target and torture" he murmered more to himself.

"Anyways back to the topic, we need you to protect the students and the school grounds" DumbleD explained looking at each of the Cullens looking for any signs of affirmation.

"But you yourself said that he is too powerful to be defeated by us" Jasper interjected.

"I am asking you to fight Voldemort, I am just asking you to protect the students and grounds from any of his allies and dementors" DumbleD answered

"Dementors?" Edward questioned

"They are kind of bodiless creatures, they prey on your happiness, the worst is the dementor's Kiss, it leaves the person despair for the rest of his life. It's traumatic really" I explained

"We will certainly help you Albus but there has to be some way to destroy him" Carlisle asked.

"There is a way my friend, there is a way" DumbleD smiled to himself "You see these two behind me" he said indicating towards Harry and me and the Cullens nodded in confusion.

"According to a prophecy,they two were destined to defeat him. When Voldemort came to know he seeked Harry, planning to kill them both when they were just infants and helpless. He planned to destroy anything that came in his path of power; which he did. That night when Voldemort attacked Lily and James; their parents, they died saving them. Lily pleaded with Voldemort to spare Harry and Bella and kill her instead." Everyone was board stiff by this point, while Carlisle's face was full of shock, Esme looked like she would break down any moment. The Cullen children however were a totally different story, all of them looked ready to attack, their expressions feral.

But DumbleD, undeterred, continued on "He did kill Lily but he didn't spare her children as per her request. He fired the killing curse on Harry and due to the twin connection between him and Bella, even she was affected by it though Harry took most of the brunt" There were collective sounds of gasps from the females in the room and snarls from the men.

"But as you can see that these two are still alive" at this point he motioned at the two of us again "you can guess that something must have gone wrong. The thing is that the killing curse, though scarring Harry and making an invisible but still present scar in Bella's soul, backfired on Voldemort himself. He did not die, of course- it's not that easy after all- he did weaken. He disappeared without a trace for thirteen years, slowly gaining his strength back. Over the past four years he has made many attempts to kill the twins but fortunately, did not succeed in any. Now, the thing is that the twins birthday is on the thirteenth of September, they will be turning eighteen this year and on the midnight of the thirteenth, the protection of love of their mother that kept them safe throughout the years, will break" DumbleD paused for a moment, allowing them to process the information.

"Then that-that means that Bella's life will be in grave danger!" Edward exclaimed frantically, his hands twitching as if looking for something or someone to strangle.

"Yes, they will be the most vulnerable at this stage" DumbleD confirmed and then took a deep breath "That is where you come in"

"How can we help?" Esme asked

"You are vampires; your body will deflect the curses. On the night of the twelfth, we will transfer them from this house to the Burrow. Of course, Voldemort's followers will be on the lookout for any movement by us and ready to attack. They will be expecting us to move out on the thirteenth and that is the reason we are doing it on the twelfth, though they will be on a lookout they will be momentarily thrown off and if that gives us even a minuscule advantage- then it's good. I will need you to protect Harry and Bella from the death eaters during the transfer. Their intent, please remember, is not to kill but to capture so don't let emotions take over you. Attack only for defense and protection and no other purpose. Don't waste any time and try to get them to the Burrow as fast as possible."

"But we haven't even agreed to it yet. I mean why would we protect someone who we don't even know and care about" Rosalie shouted and everyone including Emmett growled and glared at her.

"Stop being so damn selfish Rose" Alice yelled, her tiny fists clenched in anger. Though Rosalie stopped her ranting, her glare remained fixed on me.

"So will you?" DumbleD asked nervously which surprised me since I had never seen him so before.

"Of course" Carlisle confirmed "there is no question about not doing so"

"Then it's set" DumbleD announced. "I will inform the Order and you will receive the information and as for you Isabella" he said, turning towards me with the crinkly eye smile "I believe we have a court case to fight tomorrow?" And all I could do was gulp audibly in response.

**A/N: sorry! Sorry! Sorry! I know that was way too long but school's been hectic. I know this was short and I'm telling you in advance that I will be updating next in late September or early October. The next chapter will be the court meeting and the thing is that I'm kinda running out of ideas so if anyone can help me please PM me or explain your idea in the review itself.**

**P.S- I know that the protection of lily stops at the age of 17 as per the book but since this is fanfiction, it's my wish and spl. Thanks to aggy73 for pointing out that silly mistake in the last chapter.**

**Ciao**

**Ankira**


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